The Riddle Twins
by PigsAreLife
Summary: What if Tom Riddle had a sister? Someone to stop him from destroying the Wizarding World? How would history have been different then?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Sorry if some of this doesn't fit into the books. I'll try to make it as realistic as possible. Please R/R! Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters, though I wish I did!**

Roslyn Riddle walked up to the entrance to Diagon Alley. She glanced behind her, saw that her brother was still a long ways away, and called, "Tom! Hurry up!"

"Coming!" Tom jogged the rest of the way up to her. "Are you excited?" he asked. Roslyn shrugged.

"I dunno. I mean, this is it. It's Diagon Alley. Where all the people are."

"And?" he questioned.

"And you know how much I hate being around other people."

He couldn't deny that. Tom Riddle had always been the outgoing kid in the orphanage where they'd grown up. People hadfeared him but worshipped him nonetheless. Roslyn Riddle, on the other hand, was quiet and shy. She didn't talk much, so people never talked back. She'd been the weird little oddball that never really fit in. But Roslyn had a rebellious streak that flowed steadily through her like a river.

"So how are we supposed to get in?" Tom wondered. Roslyn sighed, coming out of her thoughts.

"I told you we should've let Professor Dumbledore come with us!"

Her brother stared at her incredulously. "No way! That old rat? Never!"

"Suit yourself." Roslyn shrugged indifferently. "I suppose we'll just have to wait here until someone comes to let us in."

Lucky for the two Riddles, someone came to let them in. Well, not _let them in_ exactly, more like shove past them and open the door on her own, with the Riddle twins scrambling after her before the door closed.

It was a plump woman wearing a brown hat, and by her side stood a boy who looked about the same age as them. She wore a black dress and leather gloves, with matching black boots and a black leather purse. She sniffed haughtily, beckoned for the boy to follow, and tapped the bricks of the wall in front of her with her wand. Roslyn and Tom could not help but be impressed.

"How'd she do that?" Roslyn whispered.

"No idea," her brother replied. "Let's go."

...

After the twins had gotten their things, they went to the ice cream parlor for a treat. They sat down with their sundaes, whose cherries kept on bouncing up and down, waiting for the Riddles to eat them.

"I really can't believe we're going to Hogwarts," said Roslyn, dangling her cherry by its stem, ignoring its cries of protest. "I mean, we've always been...special."

Strange things had happened to the Riddle twins in the orphanage. Tom had the ability to hurt people. Roslyn was not very fond of the ability, but then again, she had the ability to freeze them, so she wasn't one to talk. She never did it on purpose; she'd never do something like that. She couldn't control it, and it had slid her popularity from a fifteen to a zero, the highest being fifty.

Tom had been a forty. Even though he could hurt people, people were too afraid of him to do anything. They kept the pretense up, talking to him, joking with him as if everything were normal. Her brother had always had that aura of power around him.

And they could both talk to snakes. Roslyn thought it was freaky, Tom thought it was cool. They had first found out when they had been outside, playing, and a garden snake had slithered up. Roslyn had heard the voice of the snake clearly in her mind: _Ssssstop intruding in my sssspace, _and she had spoke back. _I'm sorry, we're just passing through. We didn't know it was your space._

At first, Tom had looked at her as if she were going nuts, but then he realized that he could hear the snake too. It had been the weirdest day of their entire lives. And then Professor Dumbledore had come. Telling them that they were a witch and wizard. Changing their lives forever.

"Roslyn, your cherry is screaming at you," Tom remarked, bringing her out of her thoughts for the second time that day. Sure enough, when Roslyn looked down, the cherry was thrashing around and trying to hit her hand. She ate it to put it out of its misery.

"This world is weird," Roslyn observed, licking her ice cream bowl clean. "Moving cherries? And did you see that dancing cauldron back in that cauldron shop?"

"Yeah," Tom agreed, scooping the rest of his ice cream out of his bowl. "Totally weird. We should probably get going. The sun's going down. There's an inn down the road, I don't want to go back to that stinky orphanage, do you?"

Roslyn shook her head no. She stood up and gathered all her belongings. Then, the two twins linked hands and set off down the alley.

**Tada! How'd you like it? Should I continue? Is it boring? **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi, I'm back! I'm gonna try to post a new chapter each day, but no promises. Please note, I did not write the words that the Sorting Hat sang because I am terrible at that kind of stuff and would probably just be wasting my time. As always, pls R&R!**

"So...is this it?" Tom asked her sister, as they both stood in front of the barrier that supposedly led to Platform 9 3/4. "Do we just run into it?"

Roslyn shrugged. "It's what that lady at the inn told us to do. And I don't see any wizards or witches here, do you?"

Tom frowned. "It just doesn't seem normal..."

"Brother dear, when exactly did you start caring about normal?"

"Shut up."

Roslyn wheeled her trolley to face the barrier. "Should I go in first, or will you?"

Tom rolled his eyes. "You go."

"Don't tell me you're afraid!" Roslyn teased.

"No, Ros. I just wanna see if you break your nose or not."

Roslyn grinned, then ran straight at the barrier. A moment later, she was gone. Tom's jaw dropped open, earning him several quizzical looks from the Muggles around him. Tom sighed. Apparently his brainiac sister had been right after all.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered, and ran after his sister.

A moment later, Roslyn and Tom were standing together on Platform 9 3/4, gaping in awe at the scarlet train in front of them. Roslyn grinned. "Isn't it awesome?"

"_My_ mummy knows the driver," a boy with brown hair who was standing next to them announced pompously. "So _I _get special privileges on the train."

Tom glared at him, and he shut up.

The train belched some steam, and bell rung. Somewhere from inside the train, a voice called, "On the train! Everyone get on the train!"

The Riddle twins unloaded their trunks and left their trolleys on the platform, amidst all the other trolleys that belonged to kids already on the train. All along the platform, kids were saying goodbye to their mothers and fathers, hugging and kissing and promising to stay safe and to write. Roslyn's heart twinged, and she turned away.

"I guess we'd better get on," she said to her brother.

"Yeah. I guess." His tone told her that he'd been thinking the same thing.

The twins held hands, then stepped onto the Hogwarts train to begin a new chapter of their lives.

...

"Alright, alright, settle down!" a calm voice called over the crowd. Roslyn and Tom recognized it at once. Albus Dumbledore. The twins exchanged meaningful glances.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. Today, we begin a new year, and you will be sorted into your Houses. The four Hogwarts Houses are named after our founders, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin.

"Gryffindors are known for their for their bravery, Hufflepuffs for their kindness, Ravenclaws for their brains, and Slytherins for their cunning. You may recognize yourself as one of those, but if you don't, don't worry. The Sorting Hat knows its job. Please try to make yourself presentable while we are waiting." He said all this sternly, but there was a twinkle of humor in his eye.

"Which House do you want to be in?" Roslyn whispered to Tom.

"Slytherin, obviously," he replied. "The best."

"Where'd you get that notion?"

He shrugged. "I am cunning, after all."

Roslyn couldn't disagree with that. "I think I might like to be in Ravenclaw," she said thoughtfully. "I have always enjoyed our studies together. Or Hufflepuff would be nice."

Tom snorted. "Puh-lease. You should be in Slytherin with me."

"How can you be so sure that you'll be in Slytherin?"

"All the best witches and wizards are in Slytherin," a voice interjected from over. It was the dark-haired boy from the station, the one who had said that he got special privileges because his mother was friendly with the train driver. "My daddy said so. Only the best make it there. All the Purebloods and such."

"Pureblood?" Roslyn asked quizzically.

The boy smirked. "Not very familiar with the Wizarding World, are you, Mudblood?" he asked. "Purebloods are the witches and wizards whose parents were both magical. Halfbloods are the ones who had one magical parent and one Muggle parent. And Mudbloods are the ones whose parents are both Muggles."

"For your information, we're both Purebloods!" Tom interjected suddenly, feeling the urge to defend his sister. "Our parents were a witch and a wizard. So watch who you're calling Mudblood, won't you?"

Although his words were calm, his tone was deadly. Tom glared at the dark-haired young wizard with enough force to drill through a wall. He cringed. Some other kids turned, surprised. Tom glared at them too, and they hurriedly turned away.

Roslyn glanced at her brother, surprised. He knew perfectly well that their father had been a Muggle and their mother a witch. Dumbledore had told them so on the day that he'd come to the orphanage. So why was he lying?

Meanwhile, the boy, cowed by Tom's sudden display of anger, shrank back. "A-alright," he mumbled. "I'm sorry. I'm Avery."

Tom regarded him for a moment. "Riddle," he replied suddenly, with an unmistakable air of authority. "Tom Riddle."

...

A few minutes later, the new first-years were lined up next to a wall in the Great Hall. They had just heard the Sorting Hat sing, and were amazed by it. Now, the first boy in line-a redhead with freckles-looked scared out of his wits, awaiting his name to be called by Dumbledore.

"Abens, Henry," called Dumbledore, and the Sorting commenced.

"GRYFFINDOR!" Abens collapsed with relief and went to join the cheering Gryffindors at their table.

Finally, Tom's name was called. ("Riddle, Tom!") and he strode up the the Hat confidently and put it on his head confidently.

_Hmm..._ the Hat rumbled. Tom jumped, startled. _Ooh, didn't realize I could talk, oh did you?_

_Well, I knew that you could sing, _Tom thought, and from the Hat's chuckling, he knew that it'd heard him. _But not talk._

_I see confusion in your future, _said the Hat. _I sense grief. And anger. But mostly confusion. Dark roads ahead. _

_Won't you just get on with it already? _Tom grumbled. _I don't need any warnings about my future, thanks._

_Very well, _the Hat replied. _But Tom, be warned. You must be careful. You must learn to accept your emotions. Listen to your sister._

_Her? _Tom couldn't help asking. _What do you mean?_

_She has good judgement, that one. Now I have kept you long enough. Tom Riddle, your House will be...SLYTHERIN!_

Tom leapt up and practically flew over to the Slytherin table. Roslyn Riddle stepped up to the Hat and put it on her head.

_Hello, Roslyn Riddle, _said that Hat. Roslyn wasn't even surprised that Hat could talk inside her head, given that it could sing as well.

_Hello,_ she responded. _My brother Tom says that I should go to Slytherin._

_Hmm, _the Hat said thoughtfully. _I sense plenty of cunning inside your brain, yes, but you're also very loyal, smart, and brave. Why not go to one of the other Houses? I see that you would do fare well in Hufflepuff in particular._

Roslyn frowned. _No...My brother needs me. _

_Yes, _agreed the Hat. _Yes. He does indeed. Very well, Roslyn Riddle, if not Hufflepuff, then it better be...SLYTHERIN!_

Roslyn jumped up and ran over to the Slytherin table, hugging her brother. "We're both in Slytherin!" she breathed. "Oh Tom, I couldn't have imagined it in a better way!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi peeps, its me, back with another chapter. A little downhearted that no one reviewed my last chapter (reviews are really like heaven), but hopeful someone will soon! As usual, if you hate it or want me to change something, just tell me in the reviews. But don't be mean about it, though :P. This chapter is set around six or seven months into the school year.**

Roslyn scrunched her eyebrows together, flicked her wand, and cried, "_Wingardium Leviosa!_" She held her breath as her spellbook floated a few inches into the air.

Tom scowled. "How come you can do it and not me?"

Roslyn shrugged. "Well, you can't be good at everything. You're already the best at Potions, DADA, and Transfiguration. I have to beat you at something!" she joked. Her brother did not look convinced.

"Maybe so," he sulked, "but not by much. You almost beat me on our last DADA test. And besides, Avery is counting on me to get one hundred percent on our next Charms test. I can't lower his expectations, now can I?"

Roslyn frowned. "Tom, are you sure you're okay?"

Tom glared at her. "What's _that _supposed to mean?"

"It's just that you've been sulking a lot," Roslyn pressed. "And you've started depending a lot on Avery's judgement."

"I don't depend on Avery's judgement!" Tom snarled. "He depends on mine! And besides, I have to set a good example for him, or he won't look up to me!"

Roslyn looked at him closely. "Tom, you don't have to be friends with Avery if you don't want to."

"I'm not friends with him, he's friends with me! And besides, you're just jealous because you have no friends."

Roslyn stared at him, shocked. She and Tom had always been so loyal to each other. They had defended each other when someone was bullying the other. They had helped each other. And now her brother was turning on her. "Fine," she snapped. "If that's how you want to play it, then fine. I'll just...leave you two alone and...find a friend of my own!"

Tom sniffed. "I don't need you anyway."

"Yeah? Well, guess what? I don't need you either!"

Roslyn grabbed her wand and spellbooks, then ran out of the library and down to the Slytherin Common Room. There, she turned left and ran to the dormitory she shared with Alaina Harvenger, Janis LaCru, and Estrie Fergusson. Janis was lying on her bed, reading the _Daily Prophet. _She waved at Roslyn, but Roslyn didn't wave back. She dove onto her bed and buried her face in the pillows.

A few moments later, Alaina Harvenger entered. She was carrying a stack of Potions books that towered over her so that she could only peek around the sides to check where she was going.

"Hey, LaCru, Riddle," she acknowledged coolly. Roslyn nodded back, and Janis gave a half smile. Harvenger wasn't the friendliest girl in their House. She didn't do anything mean, but she did treat everyone as if they were inferior to her.

"Lots of homework?" Janis asked politely. Harvenger shook her head.

"No, just for pleasure reading."

Oh, and Harvenger was an extreme nerd, though no one dared say that to her face.

Once Harvenger had left, Janis turned to Roslyn. "What a grump!" she exclaimed. Then, catching sight of Roslyn's face, she asked, "Ros? Are you okay?"

Janis LaCru was the nicest girl in Slytherin House. And that was no exaggeration. She was always polite, friendly, and was pretty smart as well. Sometimes, Roslyn wondered why Janis hadn't been sorted into Hufflepuff. Maybe because she had a wild streak that sometimes made her leap before thinking.

"Um...yeah. I guess," Roslyn replied halfheartedly. Janis sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"Me and Tom had a fight," Roslyn mumbled. "He said that I have no friends."

"That's mean!" Janis exclaimed. "I'm your friend, aren't I?"

Roslyn blinked. "You are?"

"Well that's just rude!" Janis exclaimed, although her tone was teasing. "I've been your friend ever since you came to Hogwarts!"

"Oh. Really?"

Janis mock facepalmed. "Roslyn, Roslyn," she chided. "When someone is nice to you, it usually means they want to be your friend."

"Really?" Roslyn hadn't had much people be nice to her in her lifetime. Except for Tom, that is.

Her newfound friend rolled her eyes. "Can we just get on with it already?"

...

For the rest of the short year, Tom and Roslyn didn't speak to each other. Roslyn missed her brother, but she didn't want to speak to him after what he'd said about her not having any friends. Tom was bitter and annoyed by Roslyn's immediate making of a friend: Janis LaCru. So both Riddle siblings gave each other the cold shoulder. They both had better things to do, anyway.

Roslyn was busy practicing for her second-year Quidditch tryouts using one of the school broomsticks. She knew that they were a long ways away, but she had heard about Quidditch from Janis, and was anxious to start flying.

During winter break, Tom and Roslyn avoided each other at the orphanage, and whenever they met each other's gazes, they would turn away hurriedly and hurry off. The year at school passed quickly. Before they knew it, the Riddle twins were heading back to the orphanage for the summer holidays. Finally, Roslyn couldn't stand it anymore. She ambushed Tom in his room and demanded that they made up. No one with common sense knew to deny Roslyn when she demanded something. The twins made up.

**Second Year:**

Tom was busy researching his past. He and Avery had had an intense discussion about Purebloods and Halfbloods, and Tom was determined to find out more about his blood heritage. So Tom dug through the library furiously, reading whatever he could about Purebloods and Halfbloods and trying anything that he felt like was connected to him. Then one day, he found it: _The House of Gaunt_.

Tom dug through the pages and read the book from cover to cover. He found what he wanted. He debated on whether to tell Roslyn or not. For a few seconds, he thought about not telling her. About leaving her in the dark. Then he wondered how he could ever think of such a thing. She could be quite annoying sometimes, but she was still his sister. This was her family as well. So Tom gave a note to her roommate, Estrie Fergusson, to pass along, telling her to meet him in the library.

The next day, Roslyn met her brother by the Restricted Section of the library. The two Riddles sat in silence, waiting for the other to start the conversation. Finally, Tom spoke.

"Um...Ros...well, I have something to show you," he blurted.

Roslyn shrugged. "Okay. Sure." She was tired and grumpy and was counting on finishing her homework early so that she could go to bed.

"It's about our mother and father."

That got her attention. Roslyn sat up straight in her chair, all tiredness forgotten, and stared at her brother. "What about them?"

"Well, the thing is...Mum was the witch instead of Dad."

His sister shifted. "Didn't we agree that Dad was the wizard instead?"

"Yes, but..." Tom shrugged. "I found this book." He handed Roslyn _T__he House of Gaunt_. She skimmed through its pages, and all the while her eyebrows climbed higher. Finally she flipped the cover shut.

"Wow," was all she could manage.

"I know," Tom agreed. "So that confirms that we're Halfbloods. Not Purebloods."

"Since when did you care about being a Pureblood?"

"Since I found the book!"

"So you want to be a Pureblood because of our mother and father?"

"Yes! No." Tom sighed. "Look, it's just...Pureblood is just so much better than Halfblood, and-" He cut himself off. "I'm gonna tell everyone that I'm a Pureblood. And you'd better, too."

Roslyn rose to her feet. "Are you threatening me?"

"No, but I will if I have to," Tom replied grimly.

Roslyn stared at her brother. "Tom...we can't...That's serious lying..."

Tom glared at her. "I thought you'd be more supportive."

"Of lying? To everyone we meet? No, of course I'm not supporting you!"

"Fine, then. I'll do it myself." Tom grabbed the book and strode out of the library, ignoring the stares that followed. Roslyn was aghast. How could Tom do such a thing? What happened to her honest, fun-loving brother?

Well, one thing was for sure. She'd have to stop him. Roslyn ran after her brother, calling, "Wait! Tom! Wait!"

**A/N: Mini cliffhanger! Muahahaha! Ahem. I just have to say it again: PLEASE REVIEW! It really helps my spirits to know that someone actually wants to read what I'm writing. Thx for reading. ;D**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thx to Guest for reviewing chapter one yesterday, and Shinigami132 for following and favoriting! You really helped me get my plot bunnies working! :P I honestly don't know how many chapters are gonna be in this thing so bear with me while I figure it out. Enjoy!**

Roslyn narrowed her eyes. She could see the Snitch circling around the middle goalpost, next to Reis Flemings's ankle. Behind her, she could see AJ Barden, the Ravenclaw Seeker's form, diving after her on his broomstick, trusting her to find the Snitch for him. Thanks a lot.

Well, she wasn't going to find the Snitch for him. Roslyn swerved suddenly, acting like she'd seen the Snitch somewhere else. Then, when AJ was tailing her again, Roslyn swerved again, dived madly, and grasped. She felt something in her hand. She had caught it! Then she saw the ground a few feet below her.

Merlin's pants.

Roslyn tried to pull out of the dive, but it was too low. She crashed handle-first, tumbling off her broomstick and landing on the ground. Luckily, it was only a short drop and she rolled, absorbing the impact. Janis, who played Keeper, ran over.

"Are you okay?" she gasped. "That was some dive."

"Yeah." Roslyn stood up. "Janis, we won! Oh, we _won_!"

Janis grinned. "And it's all thanks to you!"

"Oh, don't be-" But before Roslyn could finish that sentence, the Slytherin Quidditch team swarmed her, patting her back, shaking her hands, and lifting her up onto their shoulders. Before she could speak, Roslyn found herself on top of a solid mass of green and silver Slytherins. She scanned the field, looking for Tom. But he wasn't there.

As soon as Roslyn could escape, she found Tom (surprise, surprise) in the library. Again. Roslyn took a seat next to him and glanced at what he was reading: _Halfbloods and Purebloods, the Differences. _

"Not again!" Roslyn moaned. "Halfbloods and Purebloods again?"

Tom ignored her, so very unlike him, but given how he'd been acting the past few days, this was almost normal.

But Roslyn was determined to have the old Tom back. She waved her hand in front of his face. "Tom, what has gotten into you?"

He turned on her with a savage glare. "Nothing! I haven't changed at all!"

Roslyn frowned. It was so unlike him to speak to her that way. "Tom, what's wrong? Why are you acting like this? Ever since you found that House of Gaunt book, you've been so paranoid about Halfbloods and Purebloods!"

"Leave me alone!"

"Tom..."

Tom pulled out his wand. "I said, _leave me alone_!"

Roslyn was tempted to pull out her own wand, but she didn't want to start a fight. She knew that her brother was not going to back down. "Slytherin won the Quidditch match," she said in a soft voice, attempting to change the topic.

"Why should I care?!"

Roslyn sighed softly and slunk out of the library with tears in her eyes. What had happened to her brother? Her loving, caring brother? Well, at least he was loving and caring to her anyway. And why all the obsession with Purebloods, Muggle-borns, and Halfbloods?

Roslyn went straight to bed and pulled the curtains around her four-poster. It gave her some privacy, and Roslyn didn't want prying eyes to see her cry. She buried her head in her pillow and tried to keep her sobbing to a minimum. Eventually, she fell asleep, still in her robes, her head stuck in her pillow.

**Third Year**

Third year was practically the same. Tom and Roslyn talked when they had to, in forced friendly tones. No more than that.

It was a whole year without her brother, and Roslyn Riddle missed him like crazy. Well, the old him, anyway. Roslyn did normal things, had normal food, wore normal robes. But it felt like part of her heart was chipped off. Like the part that was her brother had fallen off, never to be found.

Tom Riddle missed his sister, too, but he knew that if she knew what he wanted to do, she would most certainly not approve. He had a plan, but he didn't know how to put it into action. He was close, though. He just needed to learn a few more spells to do it.

Albus Dumbledore knew that something was up with his student. But for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what.

Horace Slughorn doted on Tom Riddle. He was smart, charming, and the best in the grade at Potions. In fact, he was best in the grade at just about everything. The only person who could rival him was his sister, Roslyn.

Janis LaCru worried about her best friend. She was sad, brooding, and constantly moody. Her grades had dropped; she was still one of the best in the grade, but Tom had beaten her on their last Charms test, and Charms was Roslyn's best subject.

Roslyn had expected to have a better life when she'd come to Hogwarts. But now it just seemed that her life had taken a turn for the worse.

**A/N: This was a bit of a filler so sorry if it's boring. The next chapter will be interesting, I promise!**

**Review?**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I am so sad! No one has been reviewing! I miss you guys, please come back. Also, check out my newest story, Game Day, which no one has reviewed yet either. :( Sorry I didn't have this up yesterday, if anyone's still reading it. I had it written out, but then I forgot all about it. :P This is a filler chapter. I know that I have a lot of those but...yeah...Anyway, for this chapter, just pretend that they're having the Triwizard Tournament so they're doing the Yule Ball.**

**Fourth Year**

"So, who are you gonna ask?" Janis demanded, catching up to Roslyn after their Potions class. Roslyn blinked.

"Ask to what?"

Janis facepalmed. "The Yule Ball, Rosy! Surely, you haven't forgotten!"

"Oh-oh, right! Yeah, of course I haven't forgotten!" In fact, Roslyn had forgotten, but she wasn't about to admit it in front of her friend, now was she?

"So, who are you gonna ask?"

Roslyn shrugged. "I dunno. I don't really know that many people..."

"You can go with your brother."

Roslyn wrinkled her nose. "The grump? No thanks. He'd probably just laugh at me and run away with his gang. Besides, how weird would that be?"

Tom Riddle had made a lot of friends over the past few years, four boys named Lestrange, Mulciber, Rosier, and Nott. Roslyn despised them, but it wasn't like he was asking for her opinion.

Janis shrugged. "Well, I'm asking Thyme."

Roslyn stared at her, incredulous. "Remmert Thyme? He's almost as mean as Lestrange!"

Janis giggled. "Yes, but he's so...cute..."

"Oh, for heavens sake, Jan..."

Janis shoved her playfully. "Be quiet and stick to who _you'r__e_ asking, will you?"

Roslyn's eyes grew serious. "Who _do _you think I should ask?"

Janis grinned. "How about that Avery fellow? I hear he's quite good-looking."

"Are you kidding?! He's the biggest jerk in the world!" Roslyn replied. "Besides, I already have someone in mind." This was a lie, but she didn't want Jan to start throwing out even more bizarre possibilities.

"If you say so," she said airily, but Roslyn could tell that she didn't believe one bit of the lie.

...

It was the night of the Yule Ball, and Roslyn still didn't have a partner. She was dressed in a long silver gown, and she had styled her hair into an elaborate braid threaded with small golden flowers, using her wand. Roslyn wore a pair of low-heeled pale gray sandals and a golden necklace with an 'R' charm on the end which Tom had given to her last Christmas.

The fourth-year girl was planning to just go and do some friendly jigs with her friends, so she set off for the Great Hall, where the ball was being held. Just then, a dark-haired boy with brown eyes ducked out from behind a statue. Roslyn almost fainted in fright, but regained her composure as the boy nervously stepped out into the light. Roslyn recognized him: Matthew Ferdinand, a fifth-year Gryffindor.

"Ferdinand," Roslyn said coolly. "What are you doing?"

"Um...well...here's the thing, Riddle," Ferdinand replied nervously, biting his nail. "I don't have a partner either, so...um...yeah, I can't go."

"That's not true, you can go without a partner."

"Oh...well, I'm not much for dancing anyway, and, um, well, it would look weird if I showed up without a partner..." Ferdinand scratched the back of his neck. "So...I'm trying to find a partner."

"Hey, so am I!" Roslyn cried, and in her excitement, forgot to adopt the I-couldn't-care-less tone that all Slytherins used when talking to members of other Houses. "Maybe we could be partners!" Then she clapped her hands over her mouth, in complete horror of what she'd just said. Asking a _Gryffindor _to be her partner?! That was a major disgrace!

She started to take her offer back, but before she could, Matthew said, "Yeah! I'd love to!"

"I-"

"Come on! The ball's starting!"

And indeed it was. It was just past eight o'clock when Roslyn and Matthew hurried into the Great Hall. They got there just in time to see the Hogwarts champion, a seventh-year Ravenclaw girl named Savannah O'Keefe, parade past with her partner, Elijah Markowitz. Then went the Durmstrang champion, Anton Alexandrov, and his partner, then the Beauxbaton champion, Iva Beaulieu, and her partner. Then the dancing began!

...

Later in the night, as they were dancing to a soft waltz, Ferdinand remarked, "You know, I've always thought you different from other Slytherins."

Roslyn glanced at him suspiciously. "How do you mean?"

"Well, you aren't mean or snarky, for one," Matthew listed. "And you don't try to get the teachers to favor you."

"Many Slytherins aren't like that," Roslyn said. "My best friend, Janis, isn't. Nor my brother. Well, he wasn't." Roslyn sighed. "To be honest, I don't know what to make of him now."

"What happened?"

"Him and his Pureblood mania." Roslyn shook his head in disgust. "We're Halfbloods, but he's obsessed with becoming a Pureblood. Anyway, some Slytherins really are terrible, though. Like Avery and Lestrange. And Nott."

"Who're those?"

"Oh, part of Tom's gang," Roslyn replied, flicking a hand. "Avery, Lestrange, Nott, Mulciber, and Rosier. New friends of his. They're all little jerks."

"I can imagine." Matthew sighed darkly. "Well, anyway, I wish you luck with your brother."

"I wish myself luck, too."

Suddenly, Janis appeared out of the crowd. She beckoned to Roslyn. "That's my friend," Roslyn told Matthew. "I'd better go."

"See you around, Roslyn," said Matthew, and Roslyn took the time to register that he'd called her by her first name. Then she turned away.

"See you."

"A GRYFFINDOR?!" was Janis's first two words as Roslyn came and stood beside her. "Really, Rosy. You are very surprising, but a _Gryffindor_?! Phew, everyone's gonna have a heart attack when they find out."

"Please don't tell anyone," Roslyn begged. "I don't want anyone to know..."

"Too late for that," said Janis. "I think half the school already knows. Look at them."

Roslyn saw what she meant. People were clustered in groups, whispering and stealing not-so-subtle glances at Roslyn. She sighed. "What is it to them, anyway?"

"I dunno, but look at your brother." Roslyn followed her gaze. Tom was glaring her with a murderous expression. Roslyn shivered. She had seen that look on her brother only once, when he was mad at the kids at the orphanage, and she knew that with that expression came nothing good.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Also, I AM SO SORRY NOT TO HAVE THIS UP SOONER! I've been on vacay and felt too lazy to do anything :P. This is probably going to be the last chapter, because I don't feel like doing anymore. It's gonna be very short. I might be writing a KotLC fanfic, for anyone who is interested! I have no idea of I put a disclaimer in the last chapters, so I'm gonna do it now.**

**Harry Potter and all its characters belong to the one, the only, J.K. Rowling!**

**Fifth Year**

"Tom!" Roslyn called, running down the halls of Hogwarts. "Hey! Tom! I need to talk!"

Her brother turned sharply. "What is it?"

"Tom, it's fifth year. OWL year. We've been growing apart," she stated. "I don't want it to be like this. I want to be brother and sister again."

"Okay," he said unexpectedly. "Sure."

Roslyn's face brightened. "Really?"

"Yeah," said Tom, a gleam in his eye. "If you want to be brother and sister again, then you can help me."

"With what?"

He smiled wickedly. "Something no one has ever done before."

Roslyn's heart sank to her knees. "Oh no. Tom, is this about Purebloods and Halfbloods again?"

"Of course it is!" he snapped. "What else would it be about?"

"No, Tom, whatever this is about, you cannot do it!" Roslyn pleaded. "You can't!"

Tom turned away. "Either join me or not, your choice," he said coldly. "If you don't, then you are not my sister anymore." He turned and strode away toward the staircase.

"Tom! No. Tom!" Roslyn shouted. Heads turned her way, but she didn't care. She ran up the staircase after her brother, knowing that she had to stop him no matter the cost.

**A/N: Sorry for it being so short. Pls like and review!**


End file.
